First daughter Ivanka Trump came under a barrage of criticism on Twitter after praising her father for hosting a meeting on religious freedom at the U.N.—with celebrities including Mia Farrow jumping in to bash her comment.
"Today @POTUS became the 1st President of the United States to host a meeting at the United Nations on religious freedom! #UNGA," she wrote in a tweet Monday.
"80% of the worlds population live in countries where religious liberty is threatened, restricted, or even banned. While religious freedom is protected in the United States, sadly it is rare and under attack in many areas of the world," she added.
But her praise of her father didn't go down well on social media, where numerous commentators and Twitter users were quick to say that President Donald Trump's "Muslim ban" didn't promote the religious freedom Ivanka had lauded.
"Religious freedon? Not if we happen to be Muslim," Farrow replied to Ivanka, while Former Senior Border Patrol Agent turned immigrant rights activist Jenn Budd simply wrote: "Ahem...Muslim ban."
The so-called Muslim ban became shorthand for the president's executive order (upheld by the Supreme Court) that restricted entry to the U.S. for nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen; the third incarnation of a 90-day entry ban that originally applied to nationals from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya (six of which are majority-Muslim countries).
At the General Assembly, Trump said: "The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government. They come from God.
"Today, with one clear voice, the United States of America calls upon the nations of the world to end religious persecution. Stop the crimes against people of faith," he added.
"Release prisoners of conscience. Repeal laws restricting freedom of religion and belief. Protect the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed," he continued, adding that his administration had "done a lot" for religious freedom and urged "the governments of the world to honor the eternal right of every person to follow their conscience, live by their faith, and give glory to God," CNN reported.
His unusual address drew ire from Interfaith Alliance, which also referenced the president's travel ban and suggested a starting point to promote religious freedom would be a change in Trump's policy.
"President Trump was elected on the promise of a 'complete and utter shutdown' of Muslim immigration to the U.S.," said Interfaith Alliance president Rabbi Jack Moline. "Since then, his administration has worked tirelessly to redefine 'religious freedom' as a license to discriminate."
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